PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000 114 STAT. 639

Public Law 106–255

106th Congress

An Act

To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup in Northern Europe.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cross-Border Cooperation and

Environmental Safety in Northern Europe Act of 2000’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:

(1) Northern Europe is an increasingly vital part of Europe

and one that offers great opportunities for United States investment.

(2) Northern Europe offers an excellent opportunity to make

progress toward the United States vision of a secure, prosperous, and stable Europe, in part because of—

(A) historical tradition of regional cooperation;

(B) the opportunity to engage Russia in positive,

cooperative activities with its neighbors to the west;

(C) commitment by the Baltic states to regional

cooperation and integration into western institutions; and

(D) longstanding, strong ties with the United States.

(3) The United States Northern Europe Initiative (NEI)

provides the conceptual and operational framework for United

States policy in the region, focused on developing a regional

network of cooperation in the important areas of business and

trade promotion, law enforcement, the environment, energy,

civil society, and public health.

(4) A central objective of the United States Northern

Europe Initiative is to promote cross-border cooperation among

the countries in the region.

(5) A wide variety of regional and cross-border projects

have been initiated under the United States Northern Europe

Initiative since the Initiative was established in 1997, including

the following:

(A) A United States-Lithuanian training program for

entrepreneurs from Belarus and Kaliningrad.

(B) The Great Lakes-Baltic Sea Partnership program

that is being implemented by the Environmental Protection

Agency.

(C) A Center of Excellence for Treatment of MultidrugResistant Tuberculosis in Riga, Latvia.

(D) A regional HIV/AIDS strategy being developed

under United States and Finnish leadership.

Cross-Border

Cooperation and

Environmental

Safety in

Northern Europe

Act of 2000.

Hazardous

substances.

Aug. 2, 2000

[H.R. 4249]

114 STAT. 640 PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000

(E) Multiple efforts to combat organized crime,

including regional seminars for police officers and prosecutors.

(F) Programs to encourage reform of the Baltic electricity market and encourage United States investment

in such market.

(G) Language and job training programs for Russianspeaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia to promote social

integration in those countries.

(H) A mentoring partnership program for woman entrepreneurs in the northwest region of Russia and the Baltic

states, as part of broader efforts to promote women’s

participation in political and economic life.

(6) Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made considerable

efforts to provide assistance to the newly independent Baltic

states and to the Northwest region of Russia. In particular,

the United States notes the request placed before the European

Union by Finland in 1999 for the creation and extensive funding

by the European Union of a ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative

to substantially address the problems that now exist in

Northern Europe with regard to economic development, protection of the environment, the safety and containment of nuclear

materials, and other issues.

(7) The United States commends the endorsement of the

‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative by the European Council at

its meeting in Helsinki, Finland in December 1999 and calls

on the European Union to act on that endorsement through

the provision of substantial funding for the Initiative.

(8) While the European Union, its member states, and

other European countries should clearly take the lead in

addressing the challenges posed in Northern Europe, in particular through appropriate yet substantial assistance provided

by the European Union, the United States Northern Europe

Initiative, and this Act are intended to supplement such efforts

and build on the considerable assistance that the United States

has already provided to the Baltic states and the Russian

Federation. Partnership with other countries in the region

means modest United States investment can have significant

impact.

(9) The United States Northern Europe Initiative’s focus

on regional environmental challenges is particularly important.

Northern Europe is home to significant environmental problems, particularly the threat posed by nuclear waste from Russian submarines, icebreakers, and nuclear reactors.

(10) In particular, 21,000 spent fuel assemblies from Russian submarines are lying exposed near Andreeyeva Bay, nearly

60 dangerously decrepit nuclear submarines, many in danger

of sinking, are languishing in the Murmansk area of Northwest

Russia, whole reactors and radioactive liquid waste are stored

on unsafe floating barges, and there are significant risks of

marine and atmospheric contamination from accidents arising

from loss of electricity or fire on deteriorating, poorly monitored

nuclear submarines.

(11) This waste poses a threat to the safety and stability

of Northern Europe and to countries of the Eurasian continent.

(12)(A) In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency

has facilitated the expansion and upgrading of a facility for

PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000 114 STAT. 641

the treatment of low-level liquid radioactive waste from the

decommissioning of nuclear submarines docked at naval facilities in the Arctic region of Russia.

(B) The Environmental Protection Agency has also initiated

a project to construct an 80-ton prototype cask for the storage

and transport of civilian-controlled spent nuclear fuel, much

of it damaged and currently stored onboard an aging vessel

anchored in Murmansk Harbor. Currently in the design phase,

this project is scheduled for completion in 2000.

(13) Working with the countries in the region to address

these environmental problems remains vital to the long-term

national interest of the United States.

(14) The United States and other countries are currently

negotiating a number of agreements with Russia which will

provide internationally accepted legal protections for the United

States and other countries that provide nuclear waste management assistance to Russia. Regrettably, it has not yet been

possible to resolve remaining differences over liability, taxation

of assistance, privileges and immunities for foreign contractors,

and audit rights.

(15) Concluding these agreements is vital to the continued

provision of such assistance and to the possible development

of new programs.

(16) With the election of Russian President Vladamir Putin,

the opportunity presents itself to surmount these problems,

to conclude these outstanding agreements, and to allow assistance programs to move forward to alleviate this problem.

(17) The United States Government is currently studying

whether dismantlement of multi-purpose submarines is in the

national interest.

(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to demonstrate concrete support for continued cross-border cooperation in Northern

Europe and immediate efforts to assist in the clean up of nuclear

waste in that region.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) the United States Northern Europe Initiative is a sound

framework for future United States involvement in Northern

Europe;

(2) the European Union should move expeditiously to

authorize and fund the proposed ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative at appropriate yet substantial levels of assistance;

(3) the United States should continue to support a wideranging strengthening of democratic and civic institutions on

a regional basis to provide a foundation for political stability

and investment opportunities, including cross-border

exchanges, in Northern Europe;

(4) the United States should demonstrate continued

commitment to address environmental security challenges in

Northwest Russia, in cooperation with partners in the region;

(5) recently-elected Russian President Vladamir Putin

should rapidly conclude pending nuclear waste management

agreements to enable assistance programs to go forward; and

(6) assistance to Russia on nuclear waste management

should only be provided after issues related to liability, taxation

114 STAT. 642 PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000

of assistance, privileges and immunities for foreign contractors,

and audit rights have been resolved.

SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES NORTHERN EUROPE INITIATIVE

PROJECTS.

(a) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM EAST EUROPEAN AND THE

BALTIC STATES ASSISTANCE.—Of the amounts available for fiscal

year 2001 to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance

Act of 1961 and the Support for Eastern European Democracy

(SEED) Act of 1989 for assistance and for related programs for

Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, not less than $2,000,000

shall be used for projects described in subsection (c).

(b) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM INDEPENDENT STATES OF

THE FORMER SOVIET UNION ASSISTANCE.—Of the amounts available

for fiscal year 2001 to carry out the provisions of chapter 11 of

part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Freedom

for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets

Support Act of 1992 for assistance for the independent states of

the former Soviet Union and related programs, not less than

$2,000,000 shall be used for the projects described in subsection

(c).

(c) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—The projects described in this subsection are United States Northern Europe Initiative projects

relating to environmental cleanup, law enforcement, public health,

energy, business and trade promotion, and civil society.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY.

Not later that 180 days after the date of the enactment of

this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads

of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall prepare and submit to the Congress a report on—

(1) the threat to the environmental security of the countries

of Northern Europe and other countries of Europe and Asia

presented by Russian marine nuclear reactors, waste, and

contamination; and

(2) identifying the possibilities for new and expanded

United States and multilateral assistance programs for environmental clean-up in Northwest Russia, including technical

exchanges and private-public partnerships.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) NORTHERN EUROPE.—The term ‘‘Northern Europe’’

means the northwest region of the Russian Federation

(including Kaliningrad), the Republic of Belarus, the Republic

of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania,

the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, the Republic

of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Poland,

and the Kingdom of Sweden.

(2) UNITED STATES NORTHERN EUROPE INITIATIVE.—The

term ‘‘United States Northern Europe Initiative’’ means the

framework agreement established in 1997 between the United

States and the countries of Northern Europe to promote stability in the Baltic Sea region and to strengthen key institutions

Deadline.

PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000 114 STAT. 643

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4249:

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 146 (2000):

May 15, considered and passed House.

July 19, considered and passed Senate.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 36 (2000):

Aug. 3, Presidential statement.

Æ

and security structures of the United States and the countries

of Northern Europe.

Approved August 2, 2000.

114 STAT. 644 PUBLIC LAW 106–255—AUG. 2, 2000

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4249:

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 146 (2000):

May 15, considered and passed House.

July 19, considered and passed Senate.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 36 (2000):

Aug. 3, Presidential statement.

Æ

and security structures of the United States and the countries

of Northern Europe.

Approved August 2, 2000.